How To Find A Date For Formal When You Know Literally No Boys

ByGenevieve Wheeler

Mar 6 2018

A psychic on the Jersey Shore once told me that I was a "guy's girl" and I don't know that I've ever heard anything so inaccurate. Excluding relatives, I know about two, maybe three men? Which made things a little tricky when I got to college, joined a sorority, and was wondering how to find a date for formal.

Let's journey back.

A few weeks before my first formal, I'd confessed to a group of my new sorority sisters that I literally knew no boys at my university (or, well, in the universe). One girl — who, if I remember correctly, was the sweetheart of two separate fraternities — started scrolling through her Facebook friends, offering to hook me up with this soccer player, that frat boy, this engineering student, and so on. I decided I liked the looks of a blond fellow on the swim team, and she quickly arranged for us to meet over Chipotle and plot out a formal date plan.

The Chipotle meeting was fine, I guess (I was the epitome of awkward, but TBH, when am I not?). We made plans to meet at another sister's apartment for a pre-game before formal that weekend.

Then, about six hours before I was expected to roll up to the pre-game, I had a full-blown panic attack — one that was largely triggered by my sudden realization that I was about to go to a social event (terrifying) with a near-stranger (doubly terrifying). I was simultaneously hyperventilating and sobbing in my sister's car when she suggested I tell my friends and Stranger Swimmer Date that I had an emergency and and couldn't make it to the event, which is exactly what I did. And so, I spent the night of my first formal bundled up on her couch — drinking chamomile tea and fielding texts from worried friends — feeling a mix of guilt and relief over bailing at the last minute.

But now I'm older! Wiser! Less likely to panic at the idea of spending time with a man (sometimes, at least)! And if you're on the hunt for a formal date this semester but know zero men, I've got your back. Here are 10 ways to find and land an awesome date for your spring formal — no hyperventilating required.

Note: A few of these require a little advanced planning, so best to get started now, ladies!

4. Go to every social event between now and your formal, and challenge yourself to talk to every single cute, friendly, funny person you encounter.

5. Scour dating apps for the perfect date. If you're feeling wild, throw a line like "Now accepting applications for my spring formal date. Serious inquiries only" in your bio, and see what people have to say! And remember: The more apps you join, the larger the pool of potential formal dates.

6. Join an intramural sports team — you're guaranteed to meet a few hot athletes, and even if you don't click with any romantically, you can bring one along as a friend!